Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction - Book of Joel

Joel is the next book of the minor prophets and one of the ones where it is true that they are not minor is message just in the length of their message.

Joel is a short prophetic book only three chapters long.

The book of Joel uses a locust invasion to prophetically foreshadow the coming “Day of the Lord”.

The essential message of Joel is “Be Prepared”

Joel means Yahweh is God.

Just as with Hosea who used his domestic situation to speak God’s truth of His jealous Great Love Story, Joel message revolves around a national calamity a plague of locusts and a drought and he used these to emphasize God’s glorious coming kingdom.

Joel may have very well been the first of the writing prophets; he ministered in Judah during the reign of King Joash (835 B.C. - 796 B.C.) The record is in 2 Kings 11-12 and 2 Chronicles 22-24.

835 B.C. was a time of turmoil and transition in Judah, at the end of the reign of the Queen Mother Athalia and the beginning of the reign of King Joash.

You see Athalia seized power at the sudden death in the battle of her son Ahaziah, who only reigned one year (2 Kings 8:26; 11:1).

Athalia killed all her son’s heirs, except for one who was hidden in the temple and escaped (2 Kings 11:3).

Her six year reign of terror ended in 835 B.C. when the High Priest Jehoiada overthrew Athalia and set the seven year old Josiah on the throne 2 Kings 11:4-21.

During her six year reign as queen over Judah Athalia reigned wickedly.

She was the granddaughter of the wicked king Omri of Israel - making her daughter or niece to Ahab, one of Israel’s worst kings (2 Kings 8:26.

Athalia raised her son Ahaziah to reign in the wicked pattern of Ahab, and even brought Ahab’s counselors to advise him.

When Ahaziah was killed in battle she seized power, and set her other sons to evil, even desecrating the temple and its sacred things (2 Chronicles 24:7).

Main theme found in the book of Joel is that of the Day of the Lord.

Other themes are God’s sovereignty, holiness and grace as well as restoration and judgment.

The major theme being the day of the Lord and the major message of Joel is the need to “Be Prepared”.

The Day Is Near

Introduction - Headlines

Major events with the ability to change life as it is known definitely grab the headlines.

Media love to sensationalize the headlines and people gravitate to the news.

Tragedies and calamities especially have the potential to make people evaluate their life in terms eternity.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (CSB)

11 He has also put eternity in their hearts

A wise preacher or teacher uses what people are already focused on to grab attention in order to share spiritual truth or spiritual perspective.

At this time people of Judah were talking about the economic crisis, and the Lord led Joel to use that event for the backdrop of his messages.

Like all true prophets Joel was commissioned by the Lord to call the people back to worship of the true God.

It was the task of the priest to teach people the Law and it was the responsibility of the prophets to call the people back to the Lord whenever they strayed from His Law.

The prophets also interpreted historical events in the light of God’s word to help the people understand God’s will in their lives.

Joel therefore as a good prophet sought to guide people to understand what God was speaking through the plague and the drought.

Amazingly in our own times, the nations of the world are experiencing sever droughts and famines, frightening epidemics, unexpected earthquakes, devastating floods, and other natural disasters all of which greatly affect national and global economies.

Very few people ask or consider “What is God saying to us?”

Joel wrote this book so people would know what God was saying through these critical events.

You see in a crisis all kinds of voicing will be speaking and interpreting what you should do.

The optimist says “This crisis isnt going to last.

Be brave!”

The pessimist says “Its going to get worse and there is no escape!

We’re done for!”

The alarmist will see the enemy behind every tree, and the scoffers will question the information being reported, and the conspiracy theorists will chime in also — all shrugging their shoulders saying “what difference does it make anyway?”

Joel as a prophet is a Biblicist and a realist and he looked at life through the clarity of the lense of God’s Word.

His messages address five people groups giving them each admonitions from the Lord about what they need to do.

Before we jump into the text I want to nail down the Day of the Lord - for some who may not know or might need a refresher.

The simplest way to understand this phrase is to see the day of the Lord that this is God’s time.

Man has “day” and the Lord has His day.

There are three major days or eras spoken of within scripture.

Presently we are in the day of man.

That is mankind having his own way.

This world has rejected the Lord and we are suffering the consequences.

Second we see the day of Christ is synonymous with the Rapture of the Church — when the church is snatched up into heaven where we will spend seven years with Him.

We’ll be given our rewards and live in the mansions He’s prepared for us.

While all this is going on another day will be unfolding on earth — the Day of the Lord.

The third day spoken of in scripture is the day of the Lord.

Joel is the first to introduce the theme of the day of the Lord and speaks of it five times.

The day of the Lord differs from the Day of Christ.

It is the time that immediately follows the Rapture when God intervenes directly into the affairs of humanity.

Beginning with what is known as the Tribulation - the seven year period spoken of Revelation 6-19 when God works to get the attention of a world that isnt listening.

The day of the Lord continues from tribulation into the Millennium the 1,000 years of peace when Jesus rules and reigns from Jerusalem.

During this time men shall study war no more, things will be right at last.

The day of the Lord goes from Tribulation and continues through the Millennium.

Joel speaks to 5 people groups giving several admonitions.

Elders and Citizens

Hear this and Listen

The prophet as the word of the Lord came to him opens his message with an appeal to all who were living in the land.

The elders were the people who were the civil leaders, those who played a prominent role in government and judicial systems.

Joel calls on them to consider the uniqueness and significance of the disaster which had come on them.

A couple of reasons why he may have chosen to address them first - first they were elders because they were older, having had much experience in life and of life.

Having such experience they could authenticate what Joel is saying about the severity of the situation.

Secondly they were respected citizens in the land.

With their support Joel wasnt just another voice in a sea of voices.

They agreed with the prophet that the nation was facing a never before seen catastrophe such as never seen before.

Hear and Listen sound like repeating the same command but it is one thing to hear and an entirely different thing to listen.

It is not enough to hear the message only - the message must drive the action for without responsive action nothing changes.

Tell

Joel continues in his admonition for the elders and the citizens of the land to know it is not enough for them to hear and listen, but for them to ensure that the message and the active response to the message is passed on.

Children do not instinctively know they must be instructed to know.

They must have those who experience it first hand to share it with them in a way they can understand.

This message and its responsive action must live on beyond themselves.

Elders —> their children —> their children —> the next generation - this is a span of four different generations.

The event in view - a massive invasion by locusts which completely destroyed the lands crops and vegetation.

Four terms are used for the locusts - devouring, swarming, young and destroying.

The terms are synonymous, used for variety and to emphasize the succession of waves of locusts.

Notice the complete devastation described.

What one group left the next swarm devoured, and what they left the next demolished.

The emphasis is on the total and thorough nature of the destruction.

The plague was so unusual Joel says tell your children.

The times were so remarkable and so difficult that they would tell their children of the time they lived through the locusts.

In 1915 a devastating plague of locusts covered what is modern day Israel and Syria.

The first swarms came in March, in clouds so thick they blocked out the sun.

The female locusts immediately began to lay eggs, 100 at a time.

Witnesses say that in one square yard there were as many as 65,000 to 75,000 eggs.

In a few weeks they hatched, and the young locusts resembled large ants.

They couldnt yet fly and so they got along by hopping.

They marched along 400 - 600 feet a da, devouring every speck of vegetation along the way.

After two more stages of molting they became adults who could fly and the devastation continued.

Drunkards and Wine Drinkers

Wake Up

Except for a brief mention of insincerity of worship, drunkeness is the only sin Joel actually names in his book.

Why specifically addressing the drunkards?